Over the next day and a half, the unusual and the ordinary intertwined.
The three from Sunagakure seemed to have no further desire to "friction" with them. Even Temari stopped coming over to make a fool of herself.
The Land of Fire Merchant kept a low profile. Other than attending the scheduled meetings each day, he remained in his room the entire time, completely unlike his previous image as a lecherous gambler. He was the greatest anomaly.
Yet nothing happened at all, making everything seem perfectly ordinary. From jonin to genin, the four from Konoha kept their nerves taut around the clock. After two days, they were all somewhat exhausted. Given Sunagakure's expertise in poison, they were extremely cautious even when drinking water, relying entirely on Soldier Pills for meals.
At last, the morning of their return journey arrived. At the hotel.
"Click~" After the door opened, the merchant in a loose kimono headed toward the stairs amid his entourage. Then he suddenly turned his head and gave Lin Ke a smile filled with strange meaning.
"..."
Nara Yan Shui naturally noticed it as well. After exchanging a glance with Lin Ke, the two silently used gestures and signals to alert Yuan Wei and Xia.
After leaving the hotel, the four from Sunagakure broke away from the group and departed.
The group headed straight out of the city and into the windblown wilderness. Everyone traveled in silence. The protectors were wary of those they were supposed to protect, and the samurai's disciplined reticence now seemed suspicious.
"Whoosh~" Amid the howling gale, the outline of the city grew smaller and smaller until it vanished from sight.
They walked from sunrise until the sun gradually climbed high overhead, and the surroundings began to change noticeably. The city where the merchants had met